Piano Recital and Upcoming Performances

Our Organist, Dr. Brad Parker, will perform a duet recital alongside CSU colleague Ms. Abby Phillips this Friday!

Duet Recital
Friday, May 26th at 7:00pm
St. Andrews Parish UMC

The recital is free, open to the public and will include piano duets as well as violin and piano duet works by composers such as Poulenc, Beethoven, John Williams, Aaron Copland and more. Original sacred arrangements composed by Abby Phillips will also be presented.

Brad will also participate in Piccolo Spoleto performances on May 29th and June 1st...

The Roaring Twenties
Monday, May 29th at 4:00pm
Bishop Gadsden on James Island

Chamber Music Concert
Thursday, June 1st at 3:00pm
Franke at Seaside in Mount Pleasant

Both of these performances are free admission... So spread the word, and visit PiccoloSpoleto.com for more low and no-cost ways to celebrate the arts! 

Senior Fellowship Field Trips

Our senior fellowship group has been busy, busy, busy this spring! In April, they visited The Center for Birds of Prey for a facility tour and flight demonstration. Afterward, the group enjoyed lunch at Sewee Restaurant. Transportation was provided to and from the center (thanks to faithful pilot Pastor Brad).

This month, our seniors toured the Charleston Museum and enjoyed a delicious lunch at Bertha's Kitchen, which recently received the prestigious Beard Foundation Award.

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Senior fellowship will take a hiatus over the summer, and activities will resume in September (on the fourth Thursday of each month). Activities include field trips, board game days, lunch outings and more. Members and non-members, young and old alike are welcome to attend!

Senior fellowship activities are organized by Miriam Hunter and Cindy Walden, and they would love to get some congregational input! The group is seeking a new name that will inspire multigenerational fun... If you have group name or activity suggestions, please submit them below.

Get to Know You Class

Are you new to St. Andrews Parish UMC, or do you know someone who is interested in learning more about the United Methodist Church?

Pastor Brad is hosting a special class for guests and new members. The class will explore the history of the United Methodist Church and the theology of Methodism as well as various programs and ministries at St. Andrews Parish UMC.

This class will meet on three occasions during Sunday school (10:00am) in room B4 (next to the Goodman Room).

Get to Know You Class
Sundays at 10:00am
May 7th, 14th & 21st

We hope that this class will be a fun way to get to know one another, and we look forward to seeing you there!

May Newsletter

Click below to read the full newsletter.

Holy Week

Sunday, April 9th

• Palm Sunday Contemporary Worship Service at 8:45am
• Palm Sunday Traditional Worship Service at 11:15am

Thursday, April 13th

• Maundy Thursday Service at 7:00pm

Friday, April 14th

• Good Friday Cross Walk at 8:30am (Meet at the corner of Bees Ferry and Ashley River Road.)
• Good Friday Tenebrae Service at 8:00pm
• Prayer Vigil Begins

Easter Sunday, April 16th

• Sunrise Service at 7:00am (Sunrise service will be held in the Goodman Room.)
• Contemporary Worship Service at 8:45am
• Traditional Worship Service at 11:15am

Holy Clubs and Confirmation

This post was contributed by Youth Director Cindy Curtis and can also be found in the "Focus on Youth" section of this month's newsletter.

I love the coast! As one who grew up near the water, the Lowcountry rivers, salt marshes and beaches are so much a part of who I am. I cannot imagine living anywhere else. I did not realize the wonderful experience I was in for at Epworth by the Sea for our Confirmation retreat. I enjoyed the location so much I felt a little guilty that it was part of my job. To admit that I learned as much as the confirmands was also a huge blessing to me.

What an incredible retreat!

One of the many teaching events planned for us was the participation in Holy Clubs. I liked the name, but had no idea what we were in for. John Wesley originated the concept while he was in college as a way to not only keep himself accountable, but to participate with others so that each person was given support, strength and a place to discuss their faith struggles. He formulated 22 questions for personal reflection, and the group discussed them. For example, am I proud? Do I grumble or complain constantly? Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits? Do I disobey God in anything? (I encourage you to look up all 22) We met as a group both evenings and had our Holy Club time.

Read more about John Wesley's 22 Questions for Personal Reflection at HopeFaithPrayer.com.

The questions led to more questions as we honestly discussed our struggles. The reflections opened our eyes and hearts to God in new and deeper ways. All of the twelve females were in one cabin with one toilet and one shower. The respect for each other, the patience for waiting your turn and taking a very fast shower, allowed us to live the grace that we were learning about. We sang, we worshiped, we attended workshops, we ate great food, we toured the Village at St. Simons, and we had a scavenger hunt in the dark all around the campus that ended at a camp fire. Our group was a model for others by their focus, manners and attention to the speakers and leaders.

As we finish up our confirmation lessons by adding to the information we received at our
retreat, the young people will be well prepared as they contemplate the decision to join the church on April 30. Many thanks to this church, the parents, and the Faith Friends (mentors) for helping to raise responsible faithful youth.

Relay For Life

Relay For Life of Charleston County will be hosting their annual event Friday, May 5th at TD Arena downtown. The relay will kick off at 6pm and continue through the night until 6am on the 6th.

Fundraising Efforts

We are beyond thrilled to announce that the St. Andrews Parish UMC team has raised more than $2,000 for this year's relay! Our annual Chili Cook-Off brought in a little over $300. Thank you to all who came, cooked and ate. A special congratulations goes out to first-runner up Jaime Johnson and proud victor Christine Freeman! We are already looking forward to next year's friendly competition and fierce fundraising.

But before the sun sets on this year's fundraising, please know that there is still time to contribute. A bake sale is scheduled for April 9th, and volunteers can sign up on the bulletin board outside the church office. All proceeds will benefit Relay For Life.

Guest Speakers & Special Performances

We are also pleased to announce that Pastor Brad will deliver this year's invocation, and our very own Jeremiah Treadway will be speaking at the Survivor's Dinner. The SAPUMC Praise Band will also perform at this year's event.

Pleas join the fight against cancer on May 5th! Follow Relay For Life on Facebook to learn more, and visit relayforlife.org to sign up for the St. Andrews Parish UMC team.

April Newsletter

Click below to read the full newsletter.

Ash Wednesday Drive Thru

Yesterday marked the first day of Lent, and we began the season with drive thru ashes. This was our third Ash Wednesday drive thru. The effort has been well received by the community, and we look forward to continuing the tradition in years to come.

We had the pleasure of hosting a very special visitor this year, Reporter Aaron Maybin from Live 5 News. The story aired yesterday, and is now available at Live5News.com.

Photo courtesy of Live 5 news

The Narrow Way

This post was contributed by Pastor Brad and can also be found in the "Pastor's Postings" section of this month's newsletter.  

"Narrow Way" by David Hayward

Several months ago, I stumbled upon a piece of art by a cartoonist named David Hayward called "Narrow Way." He wanted to convey the difficult struggle of following Jesus in the world today. I found the piece interesting and thought provoking.

As I sat down to plan our Lenten Worship series, I was drawn back to this image. I decided to use the lectionary texts, a guide that many churches all over the world use in their worship services, to create a series called "The Narrow Way: Finding freedom from that which enslaves us." Each week we will use scripture stories to discuss the many ways in which we struggle to follow the Gospel news of Jesus Christ.        

Lent begins on March 1st on a day we call Ash Wednesday. It is the day in which we impose ashes on our foreheads. Historically, the ashes are used from the palm branches from the year before when we celebrated Palm Sunday. As a reminder, that is the day the crowd cheered as Jesus came down from the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem. A few days later, nearly the same crowd shouted "Crucify Him!" What a fickle group of people we can be. So when the palm branches are burned and the ashes are placed on our forehead, it is an act of remembrance in which we participate. I hope that you will consider starting your Lenten journey with ashes, either imposed between 7am and 9am in our parking lot or later at 7pm during our Ash Wednesday service. I hope that as we begin and continue through Lent, we can see all the ways in which we are called to grow in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ and with each other.